Featured Insights

In our world today, consumers live an increasingly “hyper-connected, hyper-life” - they are more stretched than ever before and are striving to repurpose their time and effort, searching for simpler, easier, more pleasant and purposeful ways of living… including shopping.

The seventh Nielsen Africa Prospects report highlights shifting country priorities and sources of potential, with multi-dimensional, comparative indicators. The report also includes a special feature on business priorities across Sub-Saharan Africa for the upcoming year.

At Nielsen, we believe that our panels make our company stand out. We devote a great deal of time and resources to ensuring that our panels produce high-quality data. By combining big data with smaller data sets from carefully chosen and measured households, we believe that we provide a higher quality of insights than anyone else in the marketplace.

A whopping 46% of consumers tell us they are more likely to try new brands than they were five years ago; a clear signal to a trend we should expect to intensify. Yet we see few signs that adjustments have been made to marketing initiatives or innovation pipelines to match these numbers.

The purchasing power of South Africa’s 18-million female consumers is undeniable given that 71% of them are responsible for grocery shopping, while 60% are the primary purchaser within South African households making them a force to be reckoned with, in the local retail sector.

You don't have to look far to see rapidly growing or already mature 'disruptors' in retail and manufacturing, but the long tail of market disruption goes way beyond that in today's age of consumer disloyalty.

Fan interest and commercial investments in women’s football, or soccer, are growing leading into the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. According to Nielsen Sports, 40% of the people in countries with a team competing in this year’s tournament are interested in women’s football.

In this webinar, we highlight our collective learning and wisdom on 'How to Launch More Incremental Innovations'. Showcasing examples from local markets in multiple regions, we present local factors that play out in favour of incremental growth and also hotspots where failure risks lie.

My experience with the orange pack of biscuits is typical of how shoppers interact with product packs. Packs catch the shopper’s attention at the “Zeroth moment of truth”—when the shopper is in front of a screen. They then catch the shopper’s attention in front of the shelf—that’s the “first moment of truth”—where most purchase decisions are made.

AI is enabling companies to better understand how consumers are shopping, why they shop and most importantly, predict what consumers will buy in the future. This is fundamentally shifting how companies explore product development cycles, pricing models and understandings of how to change the minds of fickle consumers.

Esports fans around the world include some of the hardest to reach consumers for brands because of their cord-cutting and ad-blocking tendencies. While esports unites them as a fan base, their digital-first mindset is pervasive in their approach to broader entertainment consumption.

By placing the shopper at the center of decision making, manufacturers can better collaborate with their retailer partners to address the inefficiencies of trade spend—one of the largest costs of doing business.

There are many ways to create a community of beauty consumers that are loyal to retailers and brands. But don’t be overwhelmed: It’s not too late to join the conversation with your beauty consumers—they’re listening, and they’re more than happy to connect directly with you to provide their feedback.

In 2015, companies were primarily focused on the retail environment and growth could be achieved by making more or new products available to consumers in the right stores. Three years on, and route to market/ distribution is still the core focus, but four other areas are now present in the top five priorities. Read on to find out more about the latest business priorities.

At a macro level, economic conditions around the globe ended 2018 on an upbeat note. Global consumer confidence was at its highest level in 14 years, but 39 of the 64 countries included in the global Consumer Confidence Index reported declines in consumer sentiment.

Fast-moving consumer goods and GDP growth in Q4 2018 was strongest in Asia-Pacific, and consumers in the region feel the best globally about their financial well-being. Comparatively, only 37% of consumers in Europe believe their conditions have improved over the past five years.

Consumers today are more disloyal than ever before; the once steadfast consumer retail environment primed to grow brand-loyal hearts has shifted to a more capricious climate, where product infidelity is now the norm.

With so many DMP vendors fighting to stand out, it’s no surprise that many marketers aren’t able to truly differentiate the competing solutions. And to be fair, from an eagle’s eye view, I don’t know that there is a way to.

When it comes to feeling prosperous, mindset matters more than income according to Nielsen’s 2019 Changing Consumer Prosperity Report, which highlights how global consumers think and feel about their financial situation.

While online has been growing as a channel in several developed markets in recent years, it’s broadening in scope, and is fast becoming a popular shopping destination for consumers around the world, particularly those looking to purchase premium products, as these platforms are able to attract shoppers and generate sales by providing exclusive product ranges and compelling deals.

South Africa’s latest Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for the fourth quarter of 2018 shows a two point decrease to 88, presenting a relatively stable (though still negative), quarter on quarter picture for consumer sentiment in South Africa.

Digital adoption is sweeping the globe. The uptake of mobile devices and increasing access to the internet have huge ramifications for businesses in all industries. Retailers can’t afford to ignore this new reality.

Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index for West Africa shows mixed sentiments in the fourth quarter of 2018. Ghana’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) shows a five point decrease to 108, while Nigeria’s CCI has dropped one point to 117.

In this webinar, we explore the regions where consumers have experienced the biggest improvement in their financial situations since 2016. We also discuss consumers’ changing spending behavior on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories over the past five years.

As we analyze key takeaways from Nielsen’s past two years of sponsorship valuation data and research around fan behavior and preferences, it’s evident that esports stakeholders have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

There are many problems and challenges ahead of us. We also have many possibilities and options to wade through as we navigate the right way forward. It’s up to us to leverage the opportunities by adopting better strategies for using data and technology.

Some companies take the world's long-term sustainability to heart and build their entire brands around it. But even if your company isn’t ready to dive into the deep end of sustainability, it’s important to take steps in the right direction.

As companies look to break into new markets, they must understand that each market demands its own approach. In burgeoning sustainability markets, however, natural and organic are paving the way for more detailed and specific claims.

It’s rational that shoppers would be willing to pay more for a product that is of a higher demonstrated quality or value, but there is also a more subjective component that factors into many shoppers’ ideas of what premium means.

Christmas is an important time of year for the alcohol industry in the U.K., as off-trade alcohol sales over the 12 weeks of Christmas account for around a sixth of all Christmas fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sales and a third of total annual off-trade alcohol sales.

As manufacturers and retailers seek to capitalize on the opportunity of e-commerce, they need to understand consumers’ online usage, behaviour and habits, as well as what’s driving e-commerce adoption.

Seasonality has a huge impact on OTC sales performance, and although it varies by category, 60% of sales are subject to this. We, of course, associate summer with hay fever and allergies; however, lots of other categories also enjoy the seasonal uplifts that come with summer.

It’s undisputed that internet accessibility, mobile technology and digital innovations are redefining consumers every interaction and will continue to enable and disrupt many aspects of consumers’ lifestyle well into the future.

Looking for a better lifestyle, consumers are searching for options that are healthier for them and for their homes. The good news is that companies can be benevolent and bankable if they understand the intricacies of these forces and react accordingly.

A new era of sustainability is rising and it’s touching every corner of the world. Consumers in markets big and small are increasingly motivated to be more environmentally conscious and are exercising their power and voice through the products they buy. But why do these shifts feel so urgent?

It’s well known across the media landscape that consumers in the U.S. are connecting with more content across more devices than ever before. But as an industry, we have not tapped into the truly unique opportunities presented by this increased consumption at the same pace as consumers.

The rate of change in women’s sports is one of the most exciting trends in the sports industry right now. For rights holders, brands and the media, this represents a chance to develop a new commercial proposition and engage fans in a different way.

With rising consumer uptake across e-commerce categories, online FMCG growth is accelerating across the globe. In fact, we estimate that online FMCG growth will accelerate four times faster growth than offline sales in the next five years.

The marketing and advertising landscape in Latin America is becoming more fast paced and complex. To grow in this environment, companies must meet consumer demand for convenience and personalization and leverage digital strategies and innovation.

Generally speaking, global conditions for the FMCG industry remained positive in second-quarter 2018. Some regions showed significant growth promise, while others showed a slight pullback from gains earlier in the year. With many markets experiencing notable increases in GDP growth, conditions were favorable for manufacturers and retailers.

A slight drop in consumer sentiment in the second quarter was reflected in a slight pullback in spending in certain markets, as skepticism about the future had some consumers feeling as though their free cash would be better served in savings rather than on discretionary purchases.

E-commerce is becoming an important factor in further driving fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) growth across major markets globally. View our webinar to explore the framework of 10 key drivers for e-commerce success and which combination of drivers are importance based on their respective markets.

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) e-commerce has seen recent success in many markets around the globe on the heels of new investments in technology, start-up ventures and innovation in business models. Nielsen’s Future Opportunities in FMCG E-commerce study examines the e-commerce landscape in 34 markets around the globe, influenced by foundational, macro-economic, social and supply growth drivers.

As a business concept, agile has migrated well outside of the tech world, touting the benefits and buzz once grounded in the software space to an array of new industries and sectors. In the process, however, the meaning behind the term has frequently been misinterpreted.

Marketers often think about how important it is to communicate all of a product’s key benefits to their consumers directly on the pack—using images, colors, logos, words, typography, etc. But very often, this overload of information makes the design extremely complex and difficult to understand.

Consumers around the globe are feeling stretched due to changes in lifestyle, challenging working hours and longer commutes. Hyperconnectivity, rapid urbanisation and changes in households are influencing buying decisions of global consumers.

Join our Nielsen Thought Leadership experts around our regions as they share global insights and regional examples as to why today's businesses need to revisit the definition of 'convenience' as more than a retail format and increasingly a consumer need.

Convenience isn’t just about store formats, products or packaging. And it means more than the latest technologies or new engagement strategies. Rather, it’s about every encounter, interaction and action that can help fulfill consumers’ growing demand for efficiency.

For many large, multinational global brands, other companies don’t become competition until they’re operating at the same scale and in similar markets. As a result, global companies often don’t pay much attention to the small brands that operate well outside of their global peripheral vision.

Aligning your organization toward common goals is challenging, especially when the goals change. That’s because it’s common for marketing teams to operate in silos. Most marketing organizations are split between marketing and media, and the split is compounded by multiple layers up and down the org chart.

If you can’t see it, it must not be there, right? In the FMCG market, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. That’s because every category has a certain concentration of brands that aren’t top of mind for many, but they have the ability to shift the overall landscape if conditions are right.

With the growth of streaming apps available through the TV glass come new opportunities for advertisers to connect with consumers in the living room. In the past year alone, we've seen an almost 10% increase in the number of people who have access to a connected TV device.

From a global perspective, prospects for the remainder of the year appear largely positive. In Q1, confidence grew across Western Europe, the economic recovery in Latin America looks promising in a number of markets, dollar sales of FMCG in North America performed well, and growing disposable incomes across Asia-Pacific are having an effect well beyond the immediate region.

From a global perspective, conditions and prospects for the remainder of the year appear largely positive. In Q1, confidence grew across Western Europe, economic recovery in Latin America looks promising in key markets, FMCG sales in North America performed well, and growing disposable incomes across Asia-Pacific are having an effect beyond the immediate region.

There has never been a more dynamic and challenging time to be a marketer. Since the advent of the internet, fueled by available high-speed access and ignited by the proliferation of powerful new devices, marketers have more access to consumers than ever before.

Regardless of whether you call it football or soccer, it’s a sport with massive global appeal and fan interest. In fact, more than 40% of people 16 or older in major population centers around the world consider themselves interested or very interested in following football, more so than any other sport.

The global reach of football, or soccer, is unequalled among sports in terms of value to media and sponsors. With the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 upon us, Nielsen offers a snapshot of the vast collection of data and insights surrounding the world’s most popular sport.

The DMP serves as the nervous system for your organization’s digital ecosystem helping you unify, make sense of and unlock the value of disparate streams of data, uncover and build valuable consumer audiences, and reach those high-value audiences with personalized messaging in real-time across the digital ad ecosystem.

Today, access to information is unprecedented, consumers are empowered to make smarter buying decisions and marketers have amassed immense quantities of data about consumers. Technology has transformed many industries permanently, but perhaps none as much as marketing.

We expect lifestyle, the “little and often” trend, technology and location to be four of the key influencers on shopper’s behaviour in 2018, which, if executed well, will be true foot traffic drivers for c-store retailers.

With digital now a critical channel for brands, it’s no surprise that they’re actively looking to better understand and measure returns in the space. They’re also actively looking to social media and sponsorships as a way to amplify their digital returns.

Now in place, the minimum pricing of alcohol regulation in Scotland means that a single unit of alcohol cannot be sold for less than 50p. And as a result, the stronger the drink, the more expensive it will be. So what effect might that have on consumption?

We are at a time of unprecedented commercial opportunity in global sports. Barriers to entry have never been lower. More markets around the world than ever before are receptive to the power of sports. It’s never been easier to reach millions—even billions—of fans.

When it comes to growth, it’s hard to ignore what we’re seeing in emerging markets. In fact, they’re currently generating two-to four-times the FMCG growth of developed markets. But just because the big picture boasts big opportunity doesn’t mean capitalizing on the right opportunities is easy.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s prospects improved in 2017 as global financial conditions were more favourable, commodity prices rallied and inflation slowed helping revitalize demand. While conditions will remain tough, balancing the now and the next will lead to bigger gains. The 6th Nielsen AFRICA PROSPECTS REPORT highlights shifting country priorities and sources of growth, with multi-dimensional, comparative, integrated indicators.

2017 was a good year for global consumers, with consumer confidence ending the year at a near-record level. Notably, 51 markets finished the year with higher confidence than they did in 2016, and the gains were bigger than 2 points in 46 markets.

More than any other consumer industry, beauty and personal care are driven by trends. New trending ingredients, formulations, colors and brands come around every season. Walk into your average retail store and you’ll see this reflected on shelves.

While sales of fast-moving consumer goods in some traditionally successful markets like the U.S. saw signs of softness in early 2017, opportunities for growth are still readily available if you know where to look.

For a decade, emerging markets have ignited the global economy, contributing more than 80% to its economic expansion. Today, these markets consistently perform a remarkable three to four times better than their developed market counterparts in the FMCG industry.

Compared with the everyday consumer products we buy frequently, like paper towels and boxed cereal, durables have a much longer shelf life. Items like electric razors, coffee makers and irons fall into this category, and they play key roles in the everyday lives of consumers—yet in much different ways than fast-moving consumer goods do.

In the face of rapidly evolving business and economic landscapes around the world, the importance of organizational intelligence and foresight thinking as a tool to unearth early indicators of change and unlock growth has never been greater.

What do dental chews for pets, adult incontinence undergarments and sweetened light beer have in common? On the surface, absolutely nothing. A closer look, however, reveals that each solved a specific "job to be done."

The esports industry is growing quickly, with new leagues, teams and distribution channels. And this growth is attracting new high-profile esports investment from brands, media organizations and traditional sports rightsholders.

The “input button,” an often misunderstood piece of remote control real estate, unlocks a wide range of content for consumers with an array of devices, and it’s no longer invisible to audience measurement.

The world is changing. Fast. The way we work. The way we travel. The way we watch videos and shows. The way we simply interact with each other. And because the pace of change is happening so incredibly fast, it can be hard to understand what, and just how much, change has happened over a week, month or year.

As marketers seek greater accountability in today’s increasingly omnichannel shopper landscape, demand for outcome-based ROI measurement has become more important than ever across the media, retail and FMCG industries.

Backed by rising consumer confidence and optimism, many of the world’s economies are experiencing degrees of positive momentum. In some cases, that momentum is strong; in others, it’s subtle, but still worth noting.

When identifying how valuable sponsorships and brand activation can be in esports, it’s worth exploring the issue from the perspectives of the many stakeholders involved: leagues, franchisees and teams.

Neuroscience shows us that, when used correctly, music can put viewers and listeners in a more positive mood, leading to a greater reliance on intuition and a reduction in both critical thought and focus on detail.

We’ve been talking about health and wellness for years. There are two critical forces at play that are shifting this topic from niche to mainstream: increasingly complex needs and massive digital engagement.

Global FMCG retail is pegged at $4 trillion today, growing at a rate of just 4%, with signs of continuing sluggish performance in developed markets. On the other hand, total retail e-commerce is predicted to grow by 20% (combined annual growth rate) to become a $4 trillion market by 2020.

As the e-commerce channel expands, the future success of brands will be significantly affected by how successful they are online. As increasingly time poor consumers seek convenience and on-the-go purchases, online sales of FMCG will gain more importance.